Microstar Laboratories' DAPstudio 2.5

The newest in the Data Acquisition Processor (DAP) Measurement Studio software, DAPstudio 2.5 offers live data in bar graphs, line graphs, and waterfall formats, with flat and 3D views in each. Optional rotating colors for the waveforms in a waterfall graph allow a specific spectrum to move back in time with the same color. The software can help build a PC-based management system with one or multiple DAP boards, with each board offering an additional processor running an operating system controlled from a Windows application. It costs $199, and the full version can be downloaded from the company's website for a free trial.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.